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Monday, May 19, 2008

The Holiday Weekend

I love long weekends because I always feel that a holiday—Victoria Day in this case—gives me an excuse to take time off to do things I enjoy …like celebrating David’s birthday and going for walks with John. Today I’ve been answering email, playing in Photoshop and reading.One of the books Emma gave me for Mother’s Day was From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction by David Olen Butler, which Sandra Gulland had mentioned on her blog. Although it’s aimed at writers, Butler’s book appealed to the art part of my nature, too, mainly because he asks us to dreamstorm instead of brainstorm, the idea being that you have to get past your tendency to analyze so you can get to—and then create from—that place where your art really happens. In other words, expressing your creativity is an experience not an intellectual exercise. This advice was helpful to me because I know I usually over think things. I don’t know whether or not I agree with Butler that it shows in the finished product, but it’s certainly more enjoyable to act from your dreamspace than your brain.

1 comment:

I was wondering if you meant Robert Olen Butler? I met him many years ago when I was a writer and had a long chat with him in New Orleans at a writers' conference. His book, "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain" is one of my all-time favourite books.

My art has appeared several times in ATC Quarterly. It's the coolest zine around.

Moos created by several artists in Europe and North America, including me, were published in this issue.

RubberStampMadness did an interview with me here on my mail art activities and also published several of my stamps and postcards. I went on to write for the magazine and did articles, interviews and a column called "The Creative Process" which prompted me to write my book.

Canadian Scrapbooker published an article I wrote and illustrated on making ATCs.

Teesha Moore published my digital collages in a couple of issues of her popular zine "The Studio."

A four-page article on Photoshop Tips for Teesha Moore's Art & Life

One of my book forms appears in Somerset Gallery III.

A couple of pieces of my art appeared in the first issue of Somerset Gallery.